Week 9

Yoga as a Life-Style and Culture

This week I attended Yoga 9's "Yoga Flow Class" again with Joyce.  This was the first class where I actually felt like I was "connected with my breath" so to speak.  It's hard to explain but I gave up all control of my breath and just let it come naturally. During the tough asanas my breath became heavy and I felt embarased and was tempted to control it so I wouldn't be so loud.  However, I simply allowed myself to let go of such a unnecessary worry.  I felt connected with the flow of the room and it felt liberating giving up trying to be in control.  As Professor Greene suggested, I may have the tendency to always need to be in control due to my Pitta dosha.  I originally denied this I have realized it rings very true.  Allowing my body and mind to just go with the flow was a great experience.

I feel that the yoga life-style and culture has a lot to do with the process of slowing down the mind and body and being introspective.  It involves becoming more connected: with ourselves, our peers, and our environment. .

Week 8

This week I attended a Yoga 9 class lead by Joyce.  As opposed to being counter culture, I feel that yoga is actually pop culture now.  Yoga 9, for instance, welcomes all sorts of people and even advertises as much.  Back when yoga was considered a counter-culture people just didn't know that much about yoga.  Classes were not on corners of popular streets such is the case for Yoga 9.  I think the effect Yoga has had on the West has been positive.  I believe in the importance of slowing down the mind and being mindful and yoga is an excellent method for doing this.  Yoga has definitely gone through a lot of changes and adaptions over the generations but so does every tradition.  I don't think these changes are inherently bad unless they are making untrue claims.  If they are just marketed as ways to connect with the body, breath, and self through physical movements, then I think that yoga can be a good thing in pop culture.